May came in soggy and chilly and went out with desert-like flair. Overall we are on schedule with all the planting, weeding and maintenance around the fields. Things are looking generally beautiful in our view and all members are welcome out for a stroll around anytime. Here’s some crop specific information.
The Good:
* The onions have settled in well and we’ve stayed in top of the weeding. In this time before the summer solstice we keep them watered and hope they put on as much top green mass as possible which will in turn facilitate large healthy bulb growth later on.
onion planting
* The broccoli, cauliflower and brussels are also thriving. We are not yet close to harvesting them, but the plants are vigorous and disease/pest free.
* In the past two seasons we’ve put time into improving and expanding the perennial herb and flower area. This included a visit to our friend Anne Csete’s epic gardens to dig up some surplus plants. Some new additions to the farm include lilies, bee balm, columbine, nicotiana, false sunflower, perennial garlic and solomon’s seal. While not all edible, they are welcome as hosts for pollinators and boosting the diversity of perennial green life around the fields.
flowers and herbs in perennial bed
The Bad:
* This unseasonable hot weather comes with strings attached. There are the predictable effects such as increased time spent irrigating and keeping our many young transplants and direct seeded crops moist. But there are the less obvious consequences as well. A prime example is the peas. We have a great stand of shelling, snap and snow peas that had been growing steadily for the first month since their April planting. Peas are a cooler season crop. So the back-to-back 90 degrees days put the peas into survival mode. Instead of continuing with plant growth, they began to flower. Premature flowering reduces overall yield as the plants are much smaller than they would be in a typical year and thus produce less pods. The heat also forced our mixed greens and lettuces to bolt. So these plantings are not lasting as long as intended.
peas flowering immaturely due to prolonged May heat
* Our fall bearing raspberries were overcome by japanese beetles, some disease pressure and weeds. We ended up mowing them this spring and are re-evaluating if/how brambles may fit into our landscape.
The Ugly: Avoided so far!
Starting today, we will be transplanting all the winter squashes as well as the fall cabbage. Folks are welcome out anytime 4-7pm to lend a hand. Next comes the mulching.
flats of winter squash and cabbage family plants moved out of the greenhouse in anticipation of planting